Folk Art – Atlanta, GA

I understand not taking reservations. – sometimes people don’t show up and you end up with empty tables. It’s purely a restaurant’s prerogative. But, if you don’t take reservations, at least be accurate in your estimated wait times. Don’t make me wait two to three times as long (45 minutes) as you tell me (15 to 20 minutes). Long enough that I wonder if you’ve forgotten about me. Long enough that one of your servers comes and asks for the party name, because THEY realize we’ve been sitting in these chairs for 45 minutes. Thus began our experience at Folk Art in Inman Park, an eight month old venture from chef/owner Jason Hill and the Wisteria team. I read about their opening last fall in Atlanta Magazine, which said that the dishes were hit and miss. Apparently, based on the crowd on the sidewalk when we arrived , they’ve either fixed that or no one cares.

Ultimately, we were seated on the far wall in this photo,

underneath the 7-up sign. Service started spotty, as we ordered our drinks and then asked two servers for a straw. After waiting ten minutes or so, I ultimately went and grabbed one from the hostess stand by the bar.

Here’s a positive – they have Cheerwine (the official soft drink of the state of North Carolina) on tap. I’ve heard that Cheerwine was making a comeback in Georgia. I even saw a sign for it in a convenience store recently. I remember drinking it, as a kid, (primarily from the soda machine at Tanner Memorial Hospital in Carrollton, back in the mid-70s). We were offered the brunch menu which combines elements of their breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The menu is helpfully split into sections: Eggs, Waffle & Pancakes, Dishes Greens & Bowls, and the Daily Grind / On the Roll. This allowed us to focus on breakfast or lunch – we decided on breakfast. In the spirit of my mission, I need to return one weekday and try their burger.

Jo decided on the “Foul Play” –

chicken (a fried chicken breast) and waffle, topped with a whiskey peach compote. This compote had a tart sweetness, with an undertone of whiskey, and mixed well with the fried chicken breast and waffle. The only complaint about this dish would be the thinness of the waffle. A Belgian waffle would have been perfect.

I decided on the Southern Fried Folk –

a fried chicken breast, topped with a fried egg and sausage gravy, on two biscuits. The biscuits were baked like a slab of cornbread, sliced into squares. Unfortunately, the biscuit flaked like corn bread when you tried to slice a bite – almost to the point of needing a spoon to eat the dish. This was an excellent dish – even better when you alternated between the savory (my dish) and the sweet (Jo’s dish). If I were to order this again, I’d definitely ask for more gravy. The gravy had a sourness to it that was unique and made the dish memorable.

The food was very good – the service could have used work (in addition to the issues above, I also sat with an empty glass for a good eight minutes – a cardinal sin in my hierarchy of food service faux pas), but I’ll try it again. Maybe my service expectations are high, but the server at Waffle House yesterday was more attentive.